I Guess You Could Call Him A Spokes-Man

[Laurels]

Carlyle and Chris both talked about the theoretical race between the three of them. Somewhere in this discussion, Brigid began to wonder how the race would go. Chris was pretty quick, that she knew of. Carlyle seemed like a possible threat, although it seemed like he had doubts on if he could keep up. It seemed like it would definitely be between Brigid and Chris. But then again, the chance for a darkhorse winner always excited Brigid whenever she watched track races, so she could see Carlyle surprising the two of them.

"Anything could happen," Brigid said in response to Carlyle's claim of only being able to keep up for a short amount of time. "You could still win."

Brigid stuck her hands in her sweatpants pockets and shrugged her shoulders. Anything can happen, and it can work for or against their favor. That was something Brigid learned early on in life, and it was something she applied to everything in her life.

Gah, don't be morbid. Just be friendly with these guys.

[Deamon]

Carlyle made a joke about Chris figuring out his secret plan to win the race which made him chuckle. It would've been funny to have him and Brigid line up like normal only for Carlyle to speed past them on his bike. To Carlyle's credit he wasn't being cocky about the challenge and saying he could win. If anything he was making it clear that he didn't really think he had a chance. It was clear that he had made the challenge in the interest of fun and that was something Chris could get behind. So he didn't see any reason not to race Carlyle, but he was right there needed to be a level playing field otherwise Chris and Brigid would smoke him. His idea of making the race 400 metres seemed like the fairest way to go, since it was based as much on stamina as it was speed. All in all it seemed like a good plan to Chris. Plus it gave Carlyle a small chance of winning, a small chance, but a chance none the less and as Chris had learned throughout the competitions he'd been to anyone could win given the chance. Brigid then responded to Carlyle's idea by saying he could still win, which matched what Chris had been thinking.

"Brigid's right," Chris said while stretching his arms. "Anyone can with given the chance. It just comes down to the day. I mean we could both trip over our own feet...which would be embarrassing now that I think about it." He grinned to himself as he thought about it. If Beth saw him trip over while racing for fun he'd never hear the end of it. That was just their relationship with each other worked; the same applied to Daniel although that was more competitive. It was probably something to do with the fact they wrestled against each other fairly often and kept a score of who had won the most...Daniel was winning after winning two matches in a row. Chris still didn't fully understand how it had happened, but Daniel certainly wasn't letting him forget it.

"I'm up for the race though, I mean if you guys want to do it now."

[Pippi]

Carlyle raised his eyebrows just a fraction as both Chris and Brigid mentioned something along the lines of him still having a chance. Their responses were more than slightly surprising in Carlyle’s eyes, for a couple of reasons. The first was their apparent belief that Carlyle could somehow pull off a darkhorse victory in the same race as two people who ran actual races for an actual club. Carlyle guessed they were right, though; this sort of thing was always unpredictable. Either that, or they were both seriously lacking in self confidence. Still, Carlyle couldn’t help but grin at the thought of both Chris and Brigid tripping during the race.

“Hey, uh, yeah, d’you think you could both start this with your laces untied?” Carlyle said, in response to Chris’ comment about tripping. “No reason or nothing, none at all, no sirree.”

That was the other thing that Carlyle was slightly surprised about. He’d originally only intended this whole thing as an idea, a joke, really. But the way things were going, it seemed as if they were planning out the whole thing to become an actual, well… thing.

Just as Carlyle was thinking about that, Chris went and mentioned that he was up for having a race right at that moment. Carlyle chuckled, slightly taken aback.

“Well, yeah man, I’m totally down for that!” Carlyle said jovially. “We gonna start it here, though? I dunno how far four hundred metres would be from here. Plus, I’d have ta leave my bike all here on it’s lonesome.” As soon as he said this, Carlyle flashed a grin at the two. “Unless you’re both cool with me usin’ it for the race?”

[Laurels]

Chris supported Brigid's statement that anything could happen if the three of them all raced together. She gave a small smirk at that. Carlyle should have a fair chance at the race, so she was glad Chris could understand that.

Carlyle made a crack about the two of them untying their shoes before racing. Bridget quickly looked down at her shoes. Still tied. Double knotting always works in her favor.

That's when Chris mentioned that the three of them actually race right then and there. Brigid was actually surprised that he would suggest it. Sure, it was fun to theorize, but she wasn't sure that they would actually do this.

I guess I don't really know these guys that well. Still, this might be fun.

Brigid simply shrugged her shoulders and raised her hands.

"Why not? I'm in."

Carlyle was in as well. He was mainly concerned about his bike though, wondering how far 400 meters was. He then asked if he should use his bike. Brigid held her chin.

"Go ahead," she said.

Chris and I should honestly be faster than a bike, otherwise all the sweating, aching, and stretching was for naught. It would be bad if Patriot High's superb athletic programs proved to be weaker than boasted.

[Deamon]

"Sadly my laces are tied." Chris said giving an apologetic shrug. It was funny in a way, Carlyle still seemed to doubt that he had a chance but at the same time he was still up for the race. Chris had to respect that. Carlyle then asked where they we going to start the race from since he wasn't sure how far 400 metres was from where they were. Chris hadn't actually thought about the course they were going to have to run. He tried to estimate the length of the bridge as Carlyle continued to talk. He wasn't completely sure how long the bridge was but they definitely had 100 metres of it left, so there was the first quarter. Chris looked out over the other side of the bridge and saw the spot he regularly went fishing with his dad. That had to be the rest of the distance but he wasn't exactly sure. He decided to shoot a little bit extra.

Carlyle mentioned using the bike again, this time his reasoning was he'd have to leave it behind if he ran. Chris couldn't argue with the thinking because obviously Carlyle didn't want his bike to be stolen while he was racing. It only made sense to want to make sure that didn't happen. Chris wasn't too sure about racing a bike though, because he'd never done it before. He wasn't exactly sure how it would go, but he assumed that a bike would take longer to get moving because it would have both the weight of the rider and the bike itself. Plus Carlyle was going from a standing start. He wouldn't have any extra momentum; so all Chris and Brigid would have to do was ensure they got a big enough lead at the beginning so that Carlyle wouldn't be able to overtake them by the time the race ended. Plus Chris knew his average time was around the low fifties so in theory he could win.

Brigid took it out of his hands though when she declared herself in the race and then said Carlyle could use his bike. Chris nodded in agreement because there wasn't any point arguing against Carlyle using the bike especially since the race was only for fun. But at the same time Chris still had the urge to win; it was just how he was. He fought down the competitive part of himself though; he didn't want to be weighed down by the desire to win a race that had only been suggested as a joke. It only frustrated him when he lost, and if there was one major flaw in Chris as a person it was his anger. It helped when released in short bursts when he wrestling but during a race against friends, it wasn't a good thing.

"For a course I was thinking we start here, keep going off the bridge, hang a right, and end up by that path...probably. I'm not 100% sure on it, so if either of you have any ideas now would be a good time."

[Pippi]

Carlyle’s eyebrows raised a fraction more, as Brigid stated that she was fine with him using the bike, and Chris signalled his agreement with a nod. He had been completely joking when he’d mentioned using the bike this time. He could probably have cycled it back home and ran back, although then he definitely wouldn’t have won the race. Heck, they could have postponed the race for some other day, really.

Carlyle wasn’t complaining, though; he was now looking forwards to the race, and with his bike, he had more than just a fighting chance of winning. Although, he thought it might be decent to give the other two a head start. It would be a bit embarrassing for two of Patriot High’s track team members to lose in a race. Sure, it was against a cyclist, but it was against a very laid back one.

Chris gave a fairly solid outline of what he thought would be a decent length for the race, going along the rest of the bridge then taking a right. Carlyle honestly didn’t know how close it was to four hundred metres; his only exposure to that distance was whenever some nationwide athletics tournament was shown on TV.

“Sounds good to me, man.” Carlyle agreed, nodding as he spoke. “I mean, we won’t know the proper distance for sure wherever we go. Less one of you’s keeping a measuring tape in their pocket or something.” Carlyle chuckled before strolling over to his bike. He placed a hand on the handlebars, before realising that the chain was still loose on one gear. Quickly kneeling down to fix it, Carlyle stood back up, and wheeled his bike back over to Chris and Brigid.

“Welp, ready when you guys are!”

[Laurels]

Everyone was up for a race. Chris had a general idea on where they should race, just across the bridge and down the path. Brigid figured she could handle that. She began to stretch in place, raising her arms above her head as she curved her back.

Alright, just the same procedure as always.

She straightened up and put her legs together. She extended her arms and bent over, trying to touch her toes.

"Get ready," she told the boys, straightening her back before bending down again. "You don't want to hurt yourselves during this."

Brigid continued to do a few stretches before she felt she was ready.

"So, where do we start?"

[Deamon]

Carlyle and Brigid agreed to the course that Chris had laid out and Carlyle made a joke about either of the track team members carrying measuring tape in their pockets, something Chris was certain he'd never had in his pocket before. It wasn't everyday someone randomly suggested racing against him. He'd never had to prepare for that before. Carlyle went to get his bike so Chris took the time to stretch his arms and legs. Like Brigid said he didn't want to hurt himself during the race. It would just be embarrassing if he had to pull up and stop halfway to the end because he'd pulled his hamstring or something. It wouldn't look too great if he limped back into his house either. He'd probably have to put up with Daniel's laughter, and he hated it when Daniel laughed at him.

Chris lifted one of his legs up and pulled the knee into his chest before pulling his leg behind him without letting it touch the floor. He'd do it on one leg before switching over. It was a stretch he always did before he wrestled to loosen up his legs and he'd carried it over into track. It had worked for him so far so he didn't see any reason to not do it. He also loosened his arms by pulling them across his body and turning into the stretch. Chris had been taught to relax his body when he ran because it made you quicker. You'd run slower if you tensed up and tried to run. That was the way it had been explained to him when he had started and he hadn't questioned it. Plus the fact he seemed to be good at running helped him believe the advice he'd been given.

Brigid then asked where they should start. Chris guessed he hadn't been clear enough when he'd laid out the course so he couldn't blame her for not knowing. Plus it would've been hard anyway because Chris had only made up the course a few minutes before. So it wasn't fresh in anyone's head. Chris even had to remember what he had said was the course before he answered. "We're starting here," He said using his hand to draw an imaginary start line where they were standing. "And the winner is the first one past that path." He made sure to point out the path so that both of them knew what they were aiming for. "So now that we know where we're starting and finishing, who says we start this thing?"

[Pippi]

Carlyle stood idly next to his bike, waiting for the other two to get ready. Brigid said something about properly stretching so as not to injure themselves. Carlyle had never really stretched before going cycling in the past, and some of the stretches Chris and Brigid were doing looked kinda painful. But there wasn’t any harm in actually doing it, so Carlyle decided, why not? It could, after all, give him that extra edge.

Carlyle considered for a moment whether it would be deemed rude to prop his bike against Brigid, when he remembered the kick-stand. He always forgot about it. His Dad had got a bit annoyed once, when he’d simply leaned it against a shelf in the garage, and left a scrape mark against something or other that was apparently important. Kicking the stand down, Carlyle did a couple of stretches with his arms; less of what the two athletes next to him were doing, more the sort you did after waking up.

Okey dokes! Now I’m good an’ ready, let’s start this thing!

Carlyle swung his left leg over the bike, kicking the kick-stand back up with his other leg, as Chris reiterated the layout of the course. Cycle over the bridge, turn left… right, and ending up on that path. Piece of cake. Actually, man, I could really go for some cake right now…

Carlyle shook his head to clear his thoughts, and grinned. Cracking his knuckles, he placed on foot on the pedal, one on the ground, and both hands on the handlebars.

“Let’s do this!” Carlyle said, with a look that wasn’t quite steely determination, but was slightly more focused than usual. “We start on your call then, bro?”

[Laurels]

The guys took to doing some stretches as well. Brigid couldn't believe that they would all be taking this race so seriously. She never really goofed off like this, so she just assumed that this was something guys like Carlyle and Chris might do. It was kind of neat.

Chris pointed an imaginary line for where they would start the race. Brigid quickly untied her ponytail and tied her hair in a bun. She didn't need her hair to create any issues. She moved to where Chris said the starting line was. She quickly stretched her back and crouched to the ground. She placed her hands on the bridge, straightened her back, and bent her right knee while keeping her left leg straightened out.

She quickly turned to her side. Carlyle was already on the bike, and Chris was getting into position. Carlyle was waiting for the call.

"I'm ready as well. Say when."

[Deamon]

Chris jumped on the stop a few times and tucking his knees into his chest. He was satisfied with his stretching so he moved to the start line that he had set. Carlyle and Bridget were already by the line, they both made it clear that they were going to wait for Chris to give the go. Looking at the two of them Chris was sure Bridget would be the bigger threat, he wasn't sure how fast Carlyle was on his bike, but he would have a slow start regardless and it would take him longer to get to full speed. Brigid however was in the same situation as Chris meaning she'd have a start that practically equalled his. So for a portion of the race it would just be Chris and Brigid, until Carlyle got up to speed. It was lucky he was taking a rolling start actually otherwise the race would've been over before it had started.

Carlyle was getting on his bike and Brigid was finishing up her stretches, Chris could feel a little bit of tension in the air, it always happened even if it was just a race for fun. People would always get invested in the outcome a little bit. There was always some pride. That was part of what made it fun in a way. You were matching yourself against an opponent and seeing who was fastest. It was as visceral or physical as wrestling but Chris enjoyed it anyway. The rush he got when he ran was different. Plus he could focus more on himself when he ran. When you were running you didn't worry about anyone else, all you worried about was yourself because it was always your moment.

Chris started to push thoughts and doubts about Carlyle being on his bike aside. He cleared his mind of any worries he had about matching Brigid's start. He focused on himself, and the race. That was all that mattered. Nothing Brigid or Carlyle did was important because it wouldn't have a direct effect on him. He didn't need to consider that possibility. He just had to relax, clear his mind and run. That was what he had been taught to do at least. Chris always had trouble with it though. He just couldn't let everything go, he needed to be thinking about something, and that was always a song. He always played a song in his mind when he ran; it helped distract him from everything.

"Ok...let's do this." He cleared his throat as he got into potions.

He'd always wondered what it was like to start a race.

"Ready...Set...Go!"

Chris pushed off and ran, he had a song in his head, the ground beneath his feet and nothing else mattered...almost.

[Pippi]

Chris was ready. Brigid was ready. Carlyle had been ready since he’d first gotten here. It was time to do this. The race to see who would become the very first Milwaukee-Mixed-Bike-And-Running-Race champion. The prize was… well, non-existent. Not that that mattered in the slightest. This was all for fun, and a certain amount of pride.

Chris got into his ready position, then began the countdown. Ready. Carlyle rolled his neck around once more, for good luck, hearing a satisfying click.

Set. Carlyle leaned back slightly, foot on a hair trigger, ready to lean forwards and slam onto the pedal the instant Chris said…

Go! Carlyle raised his foot, then slammed it down on the pedal. His other foot pushed down as he did so, turning the wheels, and with every second, the speed of Carlyle’s pedalling, and thus, the speed of the bike, was getting faster.

He was getting closer to Chris and Brigid now. The slow start was always a handicap, especially for someone like Carlyle who had never participated in a cycling race before, but once that was out of the way, he just needed to get to top speed; easy on the straight of the bridge. If the whole race consisted of this, then Carlyle knew he’d have it in the bag. But, of course, there was the turn at the end of the bridge to deal with, which would slow him down no questions asked.

Still, it didn’t matter when the race was just for fun, and when the weather was as beautiful as it was now. Carlyle tried to sneak a look to his right, just to look over the river and the light reflecting off of it again. In hindsight, this was maybe not such a brilliant idea. Carlyle snapped back to the race, only to realise that he had drifted closer and closer to the opposite side of the bridge he’d been looking at, and was moments away from colliding with it.

Carlyle slammed on the brakes; he’d lost speed due to losing concentration, but he was still going pretty fast. As he did so, he heard the now familiar sound of metal faintly clinking against metal. Flipping the kick stand down, Carlyle jumped off his bike, and instantly got to re affixing the chain. This was only a minor setback, really. If he managed to get it done quick enough, he’d be able to get back in the race in no time.

[Laurels]

Brigid closed her eyes. There was always a strange sereneness before the start of a race. For her, the world seemed quiet, the surrounding ambiance muted and replaced with a comforting absence. Brigid knew it meant having to wait until the Big Bang, the sound that signaled the start of the race. Whether it was the blank of a gun or the buzz of a scoreboard, until it appeared, Brigid was alone in the soundless place.

Remember, you are having fun with these guys. You wouldn't have stopped when you saw Carlyle on the bridge if you didn't expect to get caught in something like this. Try to win, but don't get lost in the competitiveness.

Brigid opened her eyes. Chris was counting down. She felt her heart rate increase. It was time to go. Chris's declaration was the Big Bang, and Brigid was off. She pushed off the ground and began to run along the path they agreed upon.

Fly.

Brigid wasn't sure how she was doing. From the looks of it, she close with Chris. Carlyle had a bit of a slow start since he had to take the extra time to get into his groove. He was still a competitor in this race, so she decided to not underestimate him.

I can do this. I can win this.

Brigid grinned as she began to pick up the pace. She had the chance to take the lead, and it would be hers.

[Deamon]

Chris had gotten a good start, at least he assumed he had, he was level with Brigid so that counted for something. He could hear Carlyle's bike behind him as well and it was getting closer. He and Brigid had to have gotten a good start to stand a chance in the race because the longer they took the easier it would be for Carlyle to catch up with and overtake them. He was on a bike after all and it was a well-known fact that bikes were faster than a running person. Although Chris wouldn't mind if common knowledge took a backseat for once and let them beat Carlyle.

Chris glanced over at Brigid to see that she was smiling. That was something to take from it. He had managed to get Brigid to have fun, and if he took one thing away from the day it would be that. The other thing he noticed was that she was starting to speed up. Chris didn't really have a problem with that since he assumed he'd be able to keep up, but Brigid was speeding up at a fair pace and was starting to pull ahead of him. She was really going for it, Brigid wanted to win the race. Chris didn't know why he hadn't expected her too but it threw him off and his concentration slipped. He became distinctly aware of his feet hitting the ground and his arms pumping as he approached the turn. He'd lost the song that was in his head as well.

Competition was a funny thing in that way, when people were talking about a competition they could do they never took it seriously or act like they don't care. But once the competition actually begins everyone ended up doing the same thing, everyone tries to win. It was pride that did it, and as he ran Chris's pride started to act upon him and he forced himself to speed up. Since he'd seen Brigid was trying to win, Chris wanted to beat her, if only to satisfy his pride. He'd forgotten about Carlyle completely otherwise he would've noticed the fact that he couldn't hear the bike behind him. Instead he was focused solely on Brigid. Maybe it was because she was also a member of the track team or maybe it was just because they were in a race but Chris didn't want to lose. He wanted to see if he could beat Brigid and from the look of it he wasn't going to be able too, she was just ahead and no matter how much he forced his legs to go faster she always seemed to stay just in front. He wanted to catch up and overtake her, to prove he could.

Chris only had one thought as they approached the finish he had decided on.

Make it a close finish.

[Pippi]

((Aaah, sorry guys, completely forgot it was my turn. Sorry, sorry))

As Carlyle hurriedly picked the chain up and started replacing it on the gear, he turned to look at the backs of Chris and Brigid, who were rapidly growing smaller and further away with every second. Pretty soon, they would be at the turning point, and Carlyle’s task of catching up would be made much harder. He needed to keep himself from being distracted, keep focused on his…

Oh. Right, yeah. The bike’s here, not with them. Eye on the ball, Carl, eye on the ball.

Carlyle instantly snapped his attention back to his bike and the still-loose chain. There. It was back on, and hopefully secure. Carlyle didn’t exactly feel like fixing it three times in one morning. He gave the pedals one quick spin to make sure they worked okay, then leapt back onto the bike, kicking the stand away. As soon as he was seated, Carlyle pushed down on the pedals, hoping his slow start wouldn’t be too severe a handicap. Again

Brigid and Chris had rounded the corner by now. No matter how fast a bike was, this was the sort of lead that could only be caught up to with a miracle. And last time Carlyle checked, he didn’t quite have the ability to produce miracles. Yet. He didn’t really mind, though. The competition, after all, had been one made up on the spot for fun, not for any actual prize. Least he could do now was try and make his loss as acceptable as possible. Carlyle couldn’t help but smile as he imagined Chris and Brigid’s faces when they realised that they’d both beaten a bike in a race.